Willard Lynn Fuller- Bella Blanche Cleveland

Willard Lynn Fuller was the son of Hiram Fuller and Lettie Lucinda Fuller. Even though his parents shared the same last name there was no family connection between the two family lines. His birth is registered in the Underhill, Chittenden, VT town records. The date is September 27 under the year 1878. In many subsequent records his birth is listed as 1879 but the original record is 1878. The entry lists his parents as Hiram Fuller & Letty Fuller, Hiram of New York and Letty of Underhill. ---------- Willard grew up within the family circle of the extended Griffin family in nearby Essex. His grandmother Sylvia Griffin Fuller and her two sisters, Rosetta Griffin Hunt and Electa Griffin Wolcott, according to family letters, lived in a close family circle. The families of his two uncles, Orlo and Harrison Griffin also lived close by. ---------- We find a marriage record for Willard Linn Fuller and Belle Blanch Cleveland, dated July 15, 1902, in the Georgia, Franklin, VT town records. Willard is listed as age 24 of Underhill, the son of Hiram J Fuller and Lettie L Fuller. Belle Blanch Cleveland is listed as age 26, born Georgia, VT daughter of White Cleveland and Lydia Montefiore. ---------- Most of the Cleveland family histories list the birth of Bella as September 6, 1872. Many of the census records offer differing ages for Belle. This circumstance results in a little confusion when trying to find the original record of her birth. In her marriage record her age is give as, 26, which would suggest a birth in 1876. In some census records her age is give as the same as Willard or 2 years older again 1876. The 1900 census provides a date of September 1873. Her death record implies a date of birth in about 1873. All of the children in the family of White Cleveland have their birth recorded in the Georgia, VT town records. There is an entry dated September 5, 1872 for a Luna B Cleveland the daughter of W & L S (Montefiore) Cleveland. My interpretation is that this is our Bella. The “B” in the entry stood for either Bella or Blanch and she went by Bella nickname Blanch or Blanch nickname Bella the remainder of her life. It also seems that she made an effort to minimize the 6 years difference in their age, with her being the older, by offering a different age for the census records. ---------- There is a mystery regarding the date of death of Willard’s mother Lettie. The last record of her is the 1900 Census. There is no existing death record nor has a gravesite been discovered. She may have already passed away before his marriage. The Griffin family letters hint that Willard’s grandfather, also named Willard Fuller, was quite financially successful. He find evidence of this success in an entry in a 1898 yearbook for the University of Vermont for the Chemical Society. Listed, as a member of the Society is freshman, W. L. Fuller. In 1898 only well to do families could send a son to college. In the succeeding census records Willard’s profession is listed as engineer. ---------- In 1910 Willard is living in Oil City, Venango, Penn. Oil City is considered to be the birthplace of the modern petroleum industry. It would seem that he spent his professional carrier in that industry. From 1920 to 1940 he made his home in Parkersburg, Wood, West Virginia. We find Willard and Bella Fuller listed in the city directory for those years. The entry lists him as a civil engineer Eureka Pipe Line Co. ----------- The death of Willard, Bella and their son Willard Jr. are all found in the Ohio death records index. At the time of their death their residence is listed as Portsmouth, Scioto, Ohio. Portsmouth is not too far from Parkersburg on the Ohio side of the Ohio River. Willard’s death is listed as October 5, 1960 at the age of 83. The death of Bella B Fuller is dated June 7, 1969 at the age of 96. ---------- Willard Lynn Fuller Jr was born September 16, 1906 in Oil City, Penn. As a young man he is listed in the Parkersburg City Directory next to his father. His death is also recorded in Portsmouth, Ohio on December 22, 1961. __________________________________ Willard Fuller / Lettie Fuller / Sylvia Griffin / Samuel Griffin / Samuel Griffin / Samuel Griffin of Killingworth

Worden Folsom 1816-1870, Ohio-Illinois

Worden G Folsom was the son of Noah Folsom and Achsah Pelton. Family history and census records place his birth in 1816 in Wayne, Ashtabula, Ohio. The census records indicate his middle initial was, “G”. Achsah had an uncle named Worden Griffin. I suspect that the uncle may have been the source for his name. Achsah had a brother named Samuel Griffin Pelton named after her grandfather. There is an entry in both the Folsom and Pelton family histories for the family of Noah and Achsah. The Folsom history entry reads; ---------- “Noah, m. Achsa Pelton, and had 9 ch.” ----------- The history uses a phonetic spelling for Achsah’s name. It lists 7 of the children; Worden, Julius, Hannah, Barbara, Sally, Christiana, Ezekiel. Missing from the list is a son and a daughter Malinda Jane. ---------- The Pelton history notes that the family lived in Wayne, Ashtabula, Ohio. It notes that the family later left for Illinois with Noah dying on the way. The 1820 census in Wayne records the family of Noah Folsom and 3 children, 2 boys and a girl. In 1830 the family is in nearby Gustavus with 3 boys and 5 girls. ---------- According to the Pelton history in 1833 the family moved to Illinois. In the 1850 census taken in Putnam County Illinois we find the Family of Braxton Murphy with his wife Malinda J. Folsom living next door to the family of Worden Folsom and his wife Elizabeth. ---------- The Putnam County marriage records list a marriage between Braxton Murphy and Malinda Folsom January 20, 1840 and a marriage between Worden Folsom and Betsy Murphy on July 9, 1840. It seems that brother and sister had married brother and sister. ---------- The 1850 census list Worden, 33 born Ohio, Elizabeth, 28 -Illinois, William 8- Ill, Jeremiah, 3- Ill and Worden 0- Ill. ---------- The 1855 Illinois census lists W. G. Folsom and 5 children. He is living next to 3 of the Murphy brothers. The Murphy farm was located in Magnolia, Putnam, Illinois. ---------- In the 1860 census the family is living in Bath, Mason, Ill. Listed as children are William, Jeremiah, Worden, George, Frank. ---------- In 1865 the family is found in Hennepin. In 1870 the family is in Chillicothe. All of these locations are found near each other scattered out along the Illinois River. The 1870 census adds a daughter, Mary, to the family. ---------- In each of the census records Worden’s birth is estimated as 1816/17, born in Ohio. The census records record his trade as a silversmith or jeweler. ---------- The Folsom siblings all lived out their days in these same communities. Jeremiah, Worden and George are buried in a family plot in Chillicothe. James Franklin is buried in Havana, Ill. Hints from the census records point to Mary dying as a teenager. ---------- In the 1880 census Elizabeth is living in the household of their son George. She is listed as his mother and a widow. We do not have a death record or a burial location for Worden. But it is apparent that he died between the 1870 and 1880 census cycle. --------------------- Worden Folsom / Achsah Pelton / Mercy Griffin / Samuel Griffin / Samuel Griffin of Killingworth, CT

Achsah Pelton and Noah Folsom

Achsah Pelton was the daughter of Ithamar Pelton and Mercy Griffin. The Josiah Pelton and Samuel Griffin families were both living in Killingworth, Middlesex, Connecticut when her parents married on November 11, 1791. The marriage of Ithamar and Mercy is duly recorded in the ledgers of the Killingworth Congregational Second Society. Members of the Pelton and Griffin families joined in the great America expansion moving to the new frontier of Essex, Chittenden, Vermont in the 1790s. Achsah was born in Essex, August 6, 1797. ---------- The Pelton family story is well documented in a history titled, “Genealogy of the Pelton Family of America” by J. M. Pelton. It was published in Albany, N.Y in 1892. It can be accessed on Ancestry.Com. ---------- The Pelton History records the move of the Pelton family from Connecticut and Vermont to Gustavus, Trumbull Co, Ohio in 1802. Ithamar’s father, Josiah, purchased 6,605 acres in Gustavus in 1800. By 1802 Josiah had moved most of his family to Ohio. The Pelton history records that Ithamar joined his father in Ohio in the Fall of 1804 taking all of his children born in Killingworth and Essex, including Achsah, with him. The 1820 census, taken in Gustavus, lists Ithamar Pelton and nine children. The Pelton history lists a family of thirteen children. By 1820 some of them had married. ---------- Running somewhat parallel to the story of the Pelton family is the story of the Folsom family. A Folsom family history written by Jacob Chapman was published in 1882, “A Genealogy of the Folsom family: John Folsom and his descendants, 1615-1882”. A copy of the history can be accessed online. Found in the history is the story of Thomas Folsom who was born in Epping, N. H. in 1754. After the Revolutionary War, in which he served, he moved his family to Dorchester, N. H where his son, Noah, was born in 1781. Late in 1800 Thomas moved his family to Essex, Vermont. The Folsom history notes that he later moved his family to Gustavus, Ohio. ---------- Josiah Pelton purchased the Gustavus, Ohio property in 1800. By 1802 he and most of his family were settled on his Gustavus property. His son Ithamar joined him in 1804. The Folsoms followed in 1809. The two families had become connected with the marriage of Mary Folsom to Ithamar’s brother, Elias, in 1799 in Essex, VT. The two families became very intermingled in Ohio with Hannah Folsom marrying Julius Pelton and Noah Folsom marrying Achsah Pelton. There are Folsom family histories that support the idea that Noah Folsom married Achsah Pelton in Essex, Vermont in 1808. That cannot be the case Achsah would have only been eleven at that time. The ages of those involved, census records, which place the birth of the children in Ohio and surviving family histories all strongly argue that the last two marriages occurred in Ohio. ---------- The Folsom family history entry for Noah Folsom reads; ----------- “Noah, m. Achsa Pelton, and had 9 ch.” ---------- The phonetic spelling from the Folsom history for Achsah’s name is found in several family trees on web sites such as Ancestry.com. ---------- Seven of the nine children are listed in the Folsom history; Worden, Julius, Hannah, Barbara, Sally, Christiana and Ezekiel. A daughter Malinda Jane was born in 1824. Census records for Worden place his date of birth in 1816/17. This information helps establish a probably time line for the birth of the rest of the siblings. It also argues that his parents married in Ohio in 1814/15. The Pelton family history places the date in 1814 in Ohio. ---------- Noah Pelton and his father Thomas appear in the Wayne, Ashtabula, Ohio census in 1820. The census lists Noah and his wife as well as two sons and a daughter. The 1830 census, taken in Gustavus, lists three sons and 4 daughters. ---------- There is no further trace of Noah and Achsah in the census records after 1830. The Pelton family history includes a brief entry; ---------- “Achsah, born in Essex, Vt. Aug 6, 1797; married in 1814 Noah Folsom. Lived in Wayne, Ashtabula Co., O. and in Baconsburg, O. removed to Illinois in 1833 he disappeared on the way and was never heard of. She died in Illinois in 1844.” ---------- Note that Wayne, Gustavus and Baconburgh, Ohio are all within a short distance of each other. ---------- Also note that the extended Pelton and Folsom families are buried in the Old Gustavus Cemetery. ---------- There is an air of mystery surrounding the last days of Achsah and Noah Folsom and their disappearance from Gustavus. Not only did they disappear there are no surviving records, census or otherwise, for their children in Ohio. As a result of this set of circumstance a number of family histories have been purposed. The most common history, which ignores the reality of the 1820 and 1830 census records from Ohio, has Achsah and Noah getting married in Vermont. Not only does it place their marriage in Vermont, Vermont is also listed as the place where their children were born and where they lived and died. The problem with this theory is the fact of the Ohio census records and the complete lack of any records for the Vermont scenario. ---------- So what did happen to Achsah and Noah? Why did they leave the bosom of the family gathered near Gustavus? Why go to Illinois? What happened to the children? ---------- The key to unlocking the mystery lies in their daughter Malinda Jane. Malinda’s name does not appear in the Folsom family history. The only reason that anyone could make the connection is the legacy she left behind. Her life is well remembered by her posterity. They have any number of well document family trees on web sites such as Ancestry.com. Those sites even contain a number of photographs of Grandmother Murphy. The family has a rich tradition for her parentage although they too are puzzled about some chapters of the Achsah and Noah Folsom story. The Illinois, Death index lists Malinda’s maiden name as Falsum/Folsom. --------- The story of her life provides some explanation for the questions we posed above. The story told by Malinda’s posterity tells of her marriage to Braxton Murphy of Putnam Co., Illinois. Listed in the Putnam County marriage records is a marriage between Brackston Murphy and Malinda Folsom, January 20, 1840. ---------- The Murphy family documents the life of Braxton and Malinda in Illinois. Part of the story is the death of Braxton at the battle of Shiloh in the Civil War. The census records trace Malinda in the homes of her children until her death in Shipman, Illinois August 30, 1916. There are any numbers of sources for her date of birth June 1, 1824. Census records consistently identify her place of birth as Ohio. What is missing in the story is an explanation for the how and why of her move from Ohio to Illinois. --------- The discovery of the Melinda Jane Folsom Murphy story leads us to the 1850 census taken in Putnam County, Illinois. Listed is Braxton Murphy, age 30 born in Illinois. His wife is listed as Melinda J., age 26 born Ohio. Their next-door neighbor is none other than Worden Folsom, age 33 born in Ohio and his wife Elizabeth, age 28 born in Illinois. The children in each of the two families are all listed as being born in Illinois. A search of the same Putnam County marriage records turns up a marriage between Worden Folsom and Betsy Murphy July 9, 1840. It seems that brother and sister had married brother and sister. There exists on Ancestry.com a number of excellent profiles for Malinda. There have been a number of photographs of her that have survived they are posted below. ---------- One of the early settlers in Putnam County, Ill. was Moses Murphy. He arrived in Illinois from Kentucky in 1820. The Putnam county history lists his children as William, Arter, Braxton, Elizabeth, John, Mary, Sarah, Jeremiah, Moses Jr. and James. In his will Moses identifies his daughter Elizabeth as, Elizabeth Folsom. The Moses Murphy family cemetery located on the family farm is registered in the Find A Grave Index. Another chapter of the Murphy family story records the marriage between Arter Murphy and Melinda and Worden’s sister Christiana. ---------- Worden G. Folsom is found in the 1850, 1855, 1860, 1865 and 1870 census records taken in and around Putnam County, Ill. In each his date of birth calculates to about 1816. In each his place of birth is given as Ohio. From the census record we can assemble a list of his children, William, Jeremiah, George, James Franklin and Mary. In the 1880 census we find his wife Elizabeth in the household of their son George. The census lists her as a widow. Jeremiah, George and Worden/Werdin are buried together in the Chillicothe, Ill City Cemetery. James Franklin is buried in the Laurel Hill cemetery in Havana, Ill. But where are Worden his wife, Elizabeth, and his son, William, and daughter, Mary buried? I suspect that when we find them we will find his mother Achsah buried in the same family plot. ---------- Christiana married Arter/ Arthur Murphy. The census records place their home in Magnolia, Ill. the site of the Murphy family farm. The census records estimate her birth as 1827, born in Ohio. Arter died in 1862. He is buried in the family cemetery on his father’s farm. Christiana married for a second time to David Gilson. They are in the 1880 census in Magnolia. We find her in the 1900 census in Jackson, Boone, Arkansas listed as a mother-in-law in the household of her daughter, Eliza/Liza. The 1900 census gives her date of birth as April 1827 in Ohio. But it is her headstone that provides the final details of her life. Found in the Sanders Cemetery in Boone County it reads; Christiana / wife of / Arter Murphy / Born April 11, 1827 / Died Nov 17, 1900. ---------- How do we concluded the story of Ashsah Pelton Folsom? Did the family gather up and make the move to Illinois together? Or did Achsah and Noah follow some of the children to Illinois? I think the first option is probably correct. There are no records for the children in Ohio. While we have only found three of the children in Illinois for those who do any genealogy related research it is a given that after a girl marries she more or less disappears behind the identity of her husband. This must be the story for the missing Folsom girls. ------------------------------------- Achsah Pelton Folsom / Mercy Griffin / Samuel Griffin / Samuel Griffin of Killingworth

Eleazer Hunt

Eleazer Hunt was married to Rosetta Lois Griffin. Rosetta passed away in 1898. Eleazer lived another ten year dying at the age of 99 in 1908. The America that the Hunts lived in was centered on the family. What we see in that time frame was extended families taking care of each other. It is very common to find in the census records sisters living in the household of other sisters later in their lives. It is common to see widowed sisters living with or near each other. It is almost a certainty that you will find a surviving parent listed in the household of one of their children in their later years. From the Griffin family letters we find Sylvia Griffin, the wife of Samuel Griffin, spending time with each of her children. As we can see in this news story Eleazer Hunt is living in the household of a grandson. The article provides a brief glimpse in the life and times of Eleazer.

Mercy Griffin Pelton 1774-1844

Mercy Griffin was born in Killingworth, Connecticut April 3, 1774 the daughter of Samuel Griffin and Mercy Bailey. Her baptism was duly recorded in the ledgers of the Killingworth Second Society the daughter of Samuel Griffin. She was named after her mother Mercy. Mercy was the eighth child to join the Griffin household three more brothers would eventually join the family.---------- Mercy probably grew up under the tutelage of her three older half sisters, Lois, Polly and Azuba. By the time she was a teenager those older sister were married with homes of their own leaving her as the older sister presence in a household of boys. There are no historical references for how old her sister Molly was at the time of her death. I suspect that Molly did not live very long.----------- Life for the Griffin girls probably started and ended with the large fireplace that dominated the main room in the house. With a large family to feed history places the girls center stage managing the fire and moving the cooking pots, as meals were prepared. Unlike most of the household in North Killingworth the Griffin’s were not full time farmers. Their father’s loom was a prominent part of the estate he left to his children. I have always pictured the Griffin girls being involved with cloth and sewing. Cloth was a cash crop. The many steps needed to turn raw product into usable tread for weaving and sewing must have taken up much of their time.---------- Outside of their home the next biggest influence in the life of the Griffins was the Congregational Society. The Griffin names, births, deaths and marriages, are record on many pages in the society records. It was probably at a Society function that Mercy first met Ithamar Pelton.---------- The Peltons were from Essex/ Saybrook on the Connecticut River. Their family history notes that they were carpenters involved in the ship building trade. The Pelton family history reords that Ithamar was born in Essex, Vermont October 26, 1769. The 1790 census places Ithamar’s father, Josiah, in Killingworth. His household contained; 3 males over the age of 16, 3 under the age of 16 and 3 females.---------- The marriage of Mercy Griffin and Ithamar Pelton is recorded in the Congregational Society under the heading “1791”, “Nov 11 Ithamar Pelton & Mercy Griffin”. In Deacon Abraham Pierson’s notebook the date is give as November 13.---------- Apparently the Peltons did not make their home in North Killingworth. If they had the birth of their first two children, Eunice-1792 and Flora 1793 would be record in the Society ledgers. There is evidence that they instead moved just across the city boundary to what was then called North Bristol, which had its own Congregational Society. There was a very close connection between the citizen of North Bristol and North Killingworth. North Bristol is now part of modern day Madison. We find recorded in the North Bristol ledgers on Aug 12, 1792 the acceptant of “Ithamar Pelton and Mercy his wife” into full communion. There are bits and pieces of the North Bristol Society records that have survived. We cannot find a birth record for Eunice but there is a record for the baptism of a daughter they called “Besty”. Under the heading Oct 1793, ‘The same day was baptized Betsy ye Daughter of Ithamar Pelton and Mercy his wife.” Their daughter Flora was born in September 1793. Flora would have been baptized in September or October.---------- The story of Ithamar and Marcy is recorded in the Pelton family history titled, Genealogy of the Pelton family in America by Jeremiah Pelton. Reading the preface to the volume you are left with the feeling that the project to gather family data lasted a number of years. They describe a vast letter writing and advertising campaign. The work was published in 1892. Two points need to be emphasized. The first is the description of an account book kept by Ithamar’s grandfather, John Pelton. Used in his business John also kept a detailed record of the extended family in the book. The author notes that the Josiah, Ithamar’s father, took the book with him when he moved to Ohio. At the 1892 publishing date the author named the current descendant that was still is possession of the book. The account book in essence became the primary source for much of Ithamar’s generation. The second thing that jumps out in the history is the quite references to certain aunts and uncles who were in possession of family history, birth dates, marriages etc. All in all the history makes a firm argument for the authenticity and accuracy of its contents.----------- The Pelton history notes that Ithamar and Mercy moved to Essex, Vermont in 1794. By 1798 Mercy’s father, Samuel, and brothers, Samuel Jun, John and Dan were also firmly settled in Essex. Whether or not they all made the move together is uncertain. Six children were born in Essex; Oritta, Feb 9, 1795, Achsah, Aug 6, 1797, Josiah Feb 18, 1799, Lester July 7, 1801, Elizabeth August 21, 1803 and Samuel Griffin June 11, 1805. The children unfortunately for us were born in the time frame before birth records were kept in the new town of Essex. ----------- Samuel Griffin Pelton’s birthright seems to have been to serve as the torch bearer for the Griffin side of the Pelton heritage. He named a son Griffin Pelton and one of his sons named his son Henry Griffin Pelton.--------- Ithamar and Mercy left a very faint footprint in Essex, Vt. The Pelton family history reports that they left Essex in the Fall of 1805 moving to Ohio. In Ohio they were reunited with the Pelton clan who had gathered around his father in Gustavus, Trumbull County.--------- By 1800 in New England societal forces were such that many were in search for new land. In Killingworth the Griffin boys looked to the new frontiers for new opportunities. For them the new frontier was Vermont. The greatest promise for new land however was the Western Reserve, land in the Ohio River valley and beyond. The Western Reserve was claimed by the state of Connecticut. Companies were organized to survey the Reserve creating a structure for its sale and colonization. Advertising for land in Vermont and the Western Reserve was wide spread. In response to such advertising Josiah Pelton, Ithamar’s father, traded a piece of mill property for one half of the newly surveyed township, Gustavus, Trumbull County Ohio. In 1800 Josiah and some of his sons made the trip to Ohio on horseback to locate his newly purchased 6, 605 acres of virgin land. In 1801 his son Jesse again made the trek taking with him a new wife the first women to settle in Gustavus. A second brother was to follow. In 1802 Jesse gathered up the remainder of his family and made the arduous trip. From the Pelton History,---------- “On the journey west they traveled through New Haven and New York to Philadelphia, thense by “Ark” ( large six-horse wagons) to the Ohio River, down that river by flat boats to Beaver, and by ox-team sixty five miles to Vernon, Trumbull Co. After a cabin was built in Gustavus the family was taken there.” ---------- 6,605 acres represented a significant holding in 1800. A typical large successful farm may be only contain 200 acres. The history of Gustavus is replete with Pelton references. At the turn of that century they were the dominant presence in Gustavus. The lure of the large holding was such that Ithamar and Mercy left Essex, Vermont in the Fall of 1804 to make their own journey to Gustavus.----------- It is my guess that they followed the established route that stretched across upstate New York. It is a short days ride from Essex to the shores of Lake Champlain at Burlington. The well-established Lake Champlain Trail stretched south down the east side of the lake from Burlington, Vermont to Whitehall, New York, at the southern end of the lake, and then on to Albany, New York a distance of 150 miles. Albany had been the capital of New York since 1797. Albany had served as a major trade center since well before the Revolutionary War. As such it had served as the hub for a number of roads. One of the major roads ran from Albany via Utica to end up at Fort Oswego on Lake Ontario. Starting in 1794 the State of New York started building a road, referred to as the Great Genesee Road, from Fort Schuyler in what is now Utica to Canawaugus on the Genesee River a major north-south link in central upstate New York. In 1798 the legislature authorized a road extension to Buffalo on Lake Erie. Another road, the Lake Shore Path, stretched from Buffalo, along the shore of Lake Erie, all the way to Cleveland, Ohio. It is a short detour from the Lake Shore Path to Gustavus in total a distance of about 620 miles. By wagon you are probably looking at a trip that lasted 60 plus days.------------ Five more children joined the family in Gustavus; Hiram February 3, 1807, Albert March 26, 1809, Lucius April 1812, Ithamar Jr. March 26, 1816 and Charles October 6, 1818. The history of Trumbull County describes the area as being very fertile and successful farmland. As the founding family of Gustavus the Pelton’s, with their large land holding, are described as being very successful. By 1820 the town had grown to a sizable community. When the town was first organized Ithamar was elected to be one of the first trustees. In the 1820 census there are eleven people in the household of Ithamar Pelton. In addition to Ithamar and Mercy there are eight males under the age of twenty-five and one daughter. The census lists six members of the household as being involved in agriculture. In the 1830 census there are still three sons living with their father. In the 1840 census a female matching the age of Mercy Griffin Pelton is part of the household of Samuel Griffin Pelton.---------- Ithamar and Mercy Griffin Pelton are buried in the Old Gustavus Cemetery in the rather large Pelton family plot. He died March 16, 1832. Mercy died September 14, 1844. Their large family left its footprint in Gustavus and the surrounding communities. You also find their children and grandchildren scattered all throughout the upper mid west.--------------------- Mercy Griffin / Samuel Griffin / Samuel Griffin of Killingworth CT.

Bradley V Huntley 1827-1907

Bradley V Huntley was born May 19, 1827 in Milton, Chittenden County, Vermont. He was the son of Clarissa Bradley and Duran Huntley. As the oldest son his mother gave him her family name, Bradley. Giving a son a family name was a common occurrence. In this case it may have had a little more meaning since his mother’s father, Harding Bradley, (Blog April 2016) had died as a relatively young man in 1819. ---------- Duran Huntley was born in Lyme, Connecticut in 1764. He moved to Milton, Vermont at a young age. Evidence suggests that the much younger Clarissa Bradley, born 1796, was probably his third wife. Duran died in 1842. In the 1850 census taken in nearby Colchester we see Clarissa listed twice the matriarch of seemingly multiple Huntley households. Bradley also appears as the head of his own household with members of the extended family living under his roof in that 1850 census. Clarissa died in Colchester March 14, 1859. ---------- There still remains a good deal of confusion regarding the parentage of Duran’s children the issue being which child belonged to which wife. The issue is further compounded by the lack of a clear identity for the other wives particularly the first. You even see the confusion in the excellent Huntley family history. It seems quite clear however that Clarissa’s children were, Bradley V, Edgar Porter, Almeda and Henry. ---------- As a young man Bradley left Vermont and moved across Lake Champlain to the area of Plattsburgh, Clinton County, New York. There are very few surviving vital records from the Plattsburgh. Putting together a picture of Bradley’s life is reliant on census and military records. ---------- Bradley does not appear in the 1860 census records. His military records place him in Saranac, New York in 1862. In Saranac he married Mary Ann Cline. Listed as Mary or Mary Ann in the census records the only source for her last name is in the marriage records for two of her daughters. ---------- A daughter, who they name Cora, was born in 1862. But the contingencies of the ongoing Civil War saw Bradley enlist on June 14, 1862. His military enlistment file notes that he joined in Detroit, Michigan. At first glace you are led to believe that there must be another Bradley V Huntley, Michigan is some distance from Plattsburgh. The mystery is solved with the discovery that he joined the 17th Regiment Michigan along with his brother Edgar Porter who was then living in Michigan. Further clarity is found in the notation that his residence was Saranac, NY. a subset of Plattsburgh. ---------- The 17th was a support regiment. In various census records Bradley is listed as a wheelwright or mechanic. It is a fair interpretation to suggest that his unit was involved with the maintenance of wagon’s and equipment. His military records show that he left the army on December 16, 1862 having served 6 months. --------- The next time we find a record for Bradley is the 1870 census taken in Saranac, Clinton, NY. Saranac was formed from the western part of Plattsburgh. The 1870 census lists; Bradley Huntley, age 42, born in Vermont. Also listed is Mary Ann-27, Burnham-18, Cora, 8, John-5, Nellie-3, Mary 7/12, all born in NY. ---------- The name Burnham, age 18, poses some interesting questions. At the age of 18 Burnham would have been born in 1852 when Mary Ann was only 9 years of age. Is he a cousin? Is there a chance that Bradley was married once before? There is no definitive explanation. However there is circumstantial evidence that argues that he was in fact Bradley’s son from an earlier marriage. Bradley Huntley lived the majority of his adult life in the area of Plattsburgh. However in the 1892 New York State census he is living in Diana, Lewis, NY. some distance to the west. Why move to Diana? The answer is that Diana was the home of Burnham. It would seem that as he got older Bradley had moved closer to his oldest child. ---------- There are some additional bits and pieces to the Burnham mystery. Burnham had a son who he also named Bradley Huntley. This younger Bradley was born November 26, 1880. Most genealogies incorrectly list him as the son of Bradley V Huntley, but he is in fact Burnham’s son. In the 1892 census in Diane, Bradley is listed in the household of Burnham and Hattie Huntley, age 13. Father and son are buried together in the Watertown Cemetery in Watertown, NY. ---------- Another twist to the Burnham story was the discovery that for much of his life he went by the name of Vernon. Is the “V” in Bradley” V” Huntley actually Vernon? There is in fact a birth record for the Bradley in question that is found in St. Albans, Vt. It records the birth of Bradley Huntley, Nov 26, 1880, the son of Vernon Huntley and Hattie Day. St. Albans is just across Lake Champlain from Plattsburgh. --------- We find the family of Bradley Huntley in the 1880 census taken in West Plattsburgh. That area is more commonly referred to as Cadyville. Listed is; Bradley-54, Mary A- 38, Cora-19, Frederick-4, Burt-2. Vernon is also listed as the head of his own household in Plattsburgh. ---------- Bradley Huntley is listed on the muster roll for Civil War survivors in Plattsburgh in 1884; Bradley V Huntley, 56, born Milton VT,, Residence, W. Plattsburg. ---------- In 1890 he is listed in the muster held in Diana, Lewis, NY. ---------- He is also recorded in the 1892 New York Census in Diana; Bradley V Huntley-66, Mary Ann-47, John-28, Fred-17, Burt-15. ---------- Bradley is also found in the Federal census taken in Harrisville/Diana in 1900. Listed is Bradley Huntley, May 1827, Mary A.-Aug 1845, Eunice B-Nov 1887. --------- In the 1905 New York census he is part of the household of John Huntley in Plattsburgh; Bradley V, Father, 77. ---------- Bradley is buried in the Harrisville Cemetery. His headstone, erected by the military, reads; Bradley Huntley / Co F / 17 Reg Mich / Died / Nov 23 1907 / aged 78 yrs. --------- The lack of vital records from upstate New York makes creating a family profile for Bradley and his children difficult. He is the only Huntley buried in Harrisville. It is my guess that the remainder of his family is buried near Plattsburgh. John and five of his children buried in the Cadyville Cemetery. ---------- Bradley’s wife is identified as Mary Ann Cline in the marriage records for both of his daughters, Cora and Eunice. Census records place her birth in New York in August 1845. It is probably a fair assumption that she was born in or near Plattsburgh/Saranac. Her death occurred at some point between the 1900 and the 1905 census. ---------- Burnham/ Vernon and his wife, Hattie Day are buried in the North Watertown Cemetery. Watertown, Diana, and Harrisville are towns found in close proximity along the Black River. His headstone lists two dates 1857 and Dec 1922. --------- For the 1900 census the US government designed a very detailed census for the turn of the new century. One of the items they wanted to be recorded was the number of children each woman had delivered and how many were still living. That 1900 census lists eleven children born with seven still living for Mary Ann. We have only identified seven total. It is a rough guess that it is those seven who were still living in 1900. --------- Cora appears in the 1870 census, age 8, which suggest a date of birth in 1862. In the 1880 census she is listed as age 19. The next record we find for her is a marriage registered in St Albans, Vermont. The marriage date is January 6, 1882. The bride is identified as; Cora Huntley, age 20, born Saranac, NY, the daughter of Bradley Huntley and Mary A Cline. The groom is Henry S Huntley. After the marriage Cora disappears from the records. ---------- The census records are inconsistent in their estimation of John’s age. The best guess is October 1864. John married Anna Lawless. They lived out their entire married life in Cadyville/Plattsburgh. John and five of his children are buried in the Cadyville Cemetery. The dates provided by the existing cemetery transcription are lacking to say the least. He last appears in the census records in 1930. ---------- Nellie is listed as age 3 in the 1870 census. In 1880 she is listed as, age 15, living as a servant in another household in Plattsburg. Her sisters married in Vermont, which kept excellent marriage records. It is possible that Nellie married in New York for which there are no records and was still alive in 1900 as indicated in the 1900 census for her mother. --------- Mary was listed as age 7/12 in the 1870 census taken in August of that year. That suggests a date of birth in January 1870. That 1870 census is the only mention of Mary. ---------- Fredirick is listed as age 4 in the 1880 census. The 1892 New York census lists him as 17. In the 1900 census he is part of his brother John’s household. The 1900 census lists his birth as Aug 1877. There is a listing for a Fred Huntley age 28 in the Harristown census taken in 1905 New York census. ---------- Burt is listed as age 2 in the 1880 census. He is listed as age 15 in the 1892 census in Diana. There are no other records for Burt. Some family histories suggest that Burt is actually the Bradley we have previous discussed. However that Bradley appears in his own father’s household in the same 1892 census. There are no other records for Burt. ---------- There is a gap in the family between the birth of Burt in 1878 and that of the next child in 1887. Where the missing four children born in that time span? ---------- Eunice is listed in the 1900 census. The census gives her date of birth as Nov 1887. In the 1892 census there is listed a daughter, Mary N, age 5. The age of 5 suggests a birth in 1887. You would expect Eunice to also appear in the 1892 census. The fact is that the Mary N was probably a mistake and that we are looking as Eunice in both census records. --------- We find a marriage record for Eunice in Pawlet, Vermont dated September 27, 1920. It lists her as Eunice B Huntley, residing in Pawlet, born in Plattsburgh, NY, the daughter of Bradley Huntley and Mary Ann Cline. The groom is Warren Stratton of Pawlet. There are no other records for Eunice Huntley Stratton. Warren appears in the 1930 census. He died in 1950 in Pawlet. ---------- Eunice is not buried with Warren Stratton. Mary Ann Cline is not buried with her husband Bradley Huntley. It is my suspicion that somewhere near Plattsburgh is a yet undiscovered Huntley family burial plot that also includes the missing four children. ---------------------- Bradley V Huntley / Clarissa Bradley / Harding / Stephen / Stephen / Stephen / Stephen Bradley of Guilford.